An update to my post -- Here's that fat transfer reference for you!

Meier JD, Glasgold RA, Glasgold MJ. Autologous fat grafting: long-term evidence of its efficacy in midfacial rejuvenation. Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2009;11:24-28.

I'm at the AAFPRS (American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) annual meeting in Chicago and was chomping at the bit to attend a paper presentation on how much augmentation you actually get from autologous fat grafting (filling with your own fat).

Why? Because using your own fat to restore, in this case, facial volume (it's all in the cheeks, you know!) is a very attractive, safe option. But exactly how much of that fat takes is debatable, as results in the literature vary widely (from 20% to 90%).

Problem is that the typical 2-dimensional photos used to evaluate how much fat remains post procedure don't allow for accurate measurements. In this study, fat was measured using a $40K 3-D imaging system (Canfield), which allowed the study authors to take precise measurements.

Based on the results of this study, which according to Dr. Jason Meier, is coming out in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery in the next couple of months, there is significant fat resorption in the first two to three months after the procedure, then an INCREASE to a stabilized volume at around a year. The average amount of transferred fat that remained at just short of two years in this study was about one third.

Be sure to look for this paper in the coming months by Meier, Glasgold and Glasgold for more information.